Machine and process for cracking nuts



Nov. 18, 1930. w. E. GlEsEcKE MACHINE AND PROCESS FOR CRACKING NUTS Filed Nov. 12, 1927 2 Sheeyts-Sheet l INVENTOR h/z'/am E. Giesecke A TTORNEYS,

Nov, 18, 1930. w. E. GlEss-:CKE 1,781,838

MACHINE AND PROCESS FOR CRACKING NUTS Filed Ndv. l12, 1927 2 sheets-sheet 2 1N VENTOR WNam AE. Giesecke ATTORNEYS.

Patented Nov. 18, 1930 UNIT-12DA A'STATES PATlfazN'ry orrlca muxa. emma, or Naw You, N. Y., AssIGNoaro maar. WILSON colm-l Y rm, INc., or NEW Yoan, N. Y., a conrom'rroN or NEW von; g

momma ANDV raocnss ron. caacxnro Nurs appnationmea inventan, 19,27.. serial No; aaas.

have a central column of dense relatively resistant material, the nut is compressed along l its longitudinal axis, while at the same time it is split radially from one or both ends `on lines substantially parallel with the axis of the nut. That is, the intention is to break or crushthe central column or mast, while split- 15 ting the nutwall. Y

` Because of this manner of cracking the nut,

the kernels are frequently broken or shivered,

because 4of the internal pressure'exerted byf the bursting column,`which forces the kernel toward the outer retaining wall, before the wall has been suiiiciently broken to offer a lessened resistance to the movement of the kernel.

By the present method, the nut is-held by pressure at the ends of the long axis thereof during the initial part of the splitting of the outer nut wall, and nocrushing action is exc erted on the central' mast or column until near or at the end ofthe splitting operation, so that when the column breaks or bursts the 1 nut kernels are not constrained against-outward movement Vby an unyielding unbroken or unsulliciently broken wall. Hence, a greatly. lessened resistance is offered to the outward displacement of the kernel, and there is less breakage. 4

In splitting the nut with the tvpe of cutter head shown in my prior application No. 172,- 422, by means of which in connection with i the machine with which it is used, the method above described may be carried out, the cutters or blades ofthe cutterhead are pivotally However, blades so mounted, and having a limited swinging movement, do not readily release the nut after. it has been cracked under the impulse of the dislodging mechanism forv i the same. l f

,One ofthe primary objects of the resent invention is the ,provision of a method or substantially eliminating liability to breakage of the nut kernel, by substantially eliminat-- ing resistance to the movement of the kernels, when theyk are moved under the urge of the cracking operation. Another object isthe provision of an im proved machine vforjcarryin out the methodv man eilcient and economica ,.manner. y 4Another object is .the provision in such la machine of 'a type ofl cutterhead enablingv quick andy ready adjustment"`f' for different types of nut and enabling also yready removal and replacement of ai damaged blade. v Another object isfz-ithe provision in such, mechanism of means 'facilitating' the release of the cracked nuts from the cutterhead. y Another object is theprovision in such a machine ofmechanism operating positively to discharge the nut from the cutterhead immediately at the end of the -crackingoperation. -1V

WVith these and other objects in. view the invention consists in the construction and novel combination of parts fully described hereinafter, illustrated in-the accompanying drawings, and pointed Vout in the claims alp-l pended hereto, it being understood that various changes in the form, proportion, size'an'd `minor' details of construction within the 'scope of theclaims, may be resorted to with` out departing fromlthe spirit of the invention. l In the drawings forming a part hereof Fig. lis a vertical section ythrou h the opery ating partsof the improved mac ine.,l v

Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the parts in another position. ,v

Figs. 3, 4 and 6 aresections on the lines 3-3,4-4 and 6-6 respectively, of Fig. 1'.,H Fig. 5 is a section on thelin'e`5-5 of Fi 4. Fig. 7 shows a. different assembly of bla es. v The constructionv of the present applicaf tion, which isa continuationin part of my rior application Serial No. 172,422, filed arch 3, 1927, on a nut cracking machine, includes a frame 1 of suitable construction,

v ter downward, where y to causethe :liangev having vertically spaced coaxial sleeves 2 and 3, the former being designed to support respectively the cutter head and the anvil cooperating therewith in the cracking of the nut, both of which, the head and the anvil will be later described in detail.

A bushing 4- is mounted in the sleeve 2, and

a piston 5-18 arranged within the bushing.

This piston has connected with the upper end thereof by means of a crank p1n 6, operating mechanism indicated generally at 7, for

reciprocating the piston. The piston isl lower end beveled to provide a cutter. The

upper end of the core cutter is annularly flanged at 12, and the bore of the hub. is enlarged to receive the iange,which thus by its engagement with the annular shoulder 13 formed between the enlarged portion and the normal bore ofthe hub limits the downward movement of thecore cutter and revents disengagement thereof from the hu A nut -14 is threaded into the upper end of the bore ofthe hub, beingV held locked in adjusted position by a set screw 15, and a coil spring 16 is arranged between the nut and the upper end of the core. cutter, the spring acting normall to press the core cut- 12 to engage the shoulder 13. In order to remove the core cutter from the hub, the head isl unscrewed from the piston, aftery which the nut 14 may be released and removed.

The spring 16 and the core cutter are then movable u wardly out of the hub.

A knoc out pin 17 is movable axially throu h the core cutter, and the pin is connecte at its upper end to a plate 18 movablein the axial chamber of the piston. A pair of pins 19 is connected with the plate, and extend upwardly therefrom, and each -pin is encircled by a coil spring'20. The

lower end of each spring bears against the plate, while the upper end bears against the piston, the springs acting normally to hold the knockout pin in its lowermost position.

The cutter assembly includes the head 9, a pluralit of blades 20, a disk 21, and a plura ity of olding'plates 29. The disk 21 is seated in the head, and it has a central openingQthrough which passes the-core cutter guide 26. The head isannularly recessed at its axis, as shown at 24, and the core cutter guide has an yannular iiange 25 at its inner end, which fits within the recess 24. The

. body of the guide extendsthrou h the central openingoflthedisk 21, and yt e guide is held in place by the disk, which engages over the flange 25 as shown in Fi 1.

The other or lower end o? the core cutter guide extends slightly below the rim of the cup shaped head, and is beveled as shown, the bevel corresponding approximately to that of the end ofthe core cutter. The blades 20 which are of the shape shown in Figures 1, 6 and 7, may vary in number in accordance with the type of nut to be cracked. In Fi 6 an assembly of eight blades is shown w ile `n Fig. 7 the assembly includes six blades. The blades are received in radial recesses 22 in the disk, and each blade has a transverse pivot 30, the ends of which seat in open notches, as shown, in the lower face of the vdisk 21, a notch being arranged on each side of each recess 24.

The notches are open at the lower face of the disk, and a holding plate 29 is arranged between each air of adjacent blades, over the notches, t us to pivotally connect the blades tothe disk. The plates and the disk are held in place in the head b means of screws 28, a screw beingprovi'ed between each pair of blades. The screws pass through openings in the heads, and through re 'stering openings in the disk, and engage t readed openings in the holding plates.

The pivotal mounting of the bladesis such that they would normally depend from the pivots, but each blade is supported by a. spring 23 in approximately the position of Fig. 1, that is inclining inwardly and downare connected to the disk 21 as shown, and

act to return the blades to the position Vof` Fig. l, when they are pulled downward by the discharging nut, and to hold them in this normal position.

Under normal conditions the springs 20 have sutlicient strength to operate the knockout -pin to discharge the cracked nut from the cutters, but mechanism is provided for making the action of the pin positive. .Such mechanism includes a cross pin 31, which extends through oppositely arranged vertical slots 32 in the piston, the ends of the pin being held by the sleeve 2. The slots are of a length to enablev the piston to move freely throughout the extent of its movement, but the pin is so positioned that-near the end of the upward movement of the piston, it will engage the plate 18, and will move said plate and the knockout pin downward, thus positively discharging the nut. It will be noticed that the lower end of the knockout pin is reduced as shown at 17.

The anvil includes a tubular shank 33 which has threaded engagement with a bushing 34 held in the sleeve 3. The threaded' a downwardly and outwardly inclining flange 36 acting as a deflector for the cracked nuts, and as a handle for turning the shank. The hub is secured tothe shank by means of set screws 37, and a ring 38 is rotatably mounted in the upper end ofthe hub. The ring as shown has an annular iange-39 at its lower end which lits between the upper end of the shank and the hubto rotatably connect the ring to the hub.

In operation` the cutter assembly has knives or blades in accordance with the type of nut being operated upon. When the nut has a sin le kernel, two knives or three are enough. hen there are three kernels, more blades are required, and the number of blades will be in accordance with the number of kernels in the nut. TheA ring 38 provides a seat for the pointed end of the nut, and the shape of the blades is such that they cooperate to provide a seat'for the butt or acorn end ofthe nut. The anvil is adjusted roughly toward the head in accordance with the prevailing size of nut, and when once adjusted, is not changed unless therev is a divergence -from the prevailing average size.

In practice, the head isrecip'rocatedvat regular intervals, and with each reciprocan tion, a nut is placed with the pointed end A ate .to release the nut from the blades.

thereof in the ring 38, and with the acorn end bearing against the blades. As the cutter head moves downward,the rwedge-shaped blades cut and split the outer wall of the nut on lines following substantially the long axis thereof. The core cuttercan, however, move upwardly because ofthe sprin 16, so that the central 'column which is o dense resistant material is held intact until the 'nut has been split upon lines in accordance with the number of blades almost the full length thereof. This rupture of the outer wall eliminates or greatly lessens the resistance to outward movement of the kernelsv when the central column is broken. As the splitting by the blades 2O is substantially complete, the central. column is smashed, thus completely releasing all of the kernels.

It is obvious that the thorough cracking of the nut so as to release all of the kernels is not always dependent u n breakave 'of the central column. The co umn` may tbe intact at the end of the cracking operation,'this depending upon the resistance of thespring 16, and the distance which the core cutter may travel in the piston.

As the cutterhead moves upward, the knockout pin as well as the core cutter o ege core cutter is held downward or moved downward bythe spring 16 and the knockout pins by the springs 20. The -blades are free to swingunder the weight of the nut and the impulse of the springs, and as the points of the blades move outward, the distance between them increases, thus entirely releasing the nut', so that it may fall from the machine.

The arrangement of the cutter` head is such that an eight blade head for instance may be easily converted into a four or a two blade head, in the former instance by removing the alternate blades and in the latter by removtaining orholding lates 29 at opposite sides ofthe alternate bla 'es are released, the blades may be lifted out, land the holding plates ing all but a pair ofopposite blades. Likeagainsecured in place.` Thus the intermediate blades are firmly held, withthe alternate blades removed. y

Itwill be understood that it is not essential in the crackin of the nut to break the central column.. he acorn end of the column is segregated at aboutv .the same vtime las the splitting of the outer `wall commences. The i segregation ofthe central column by the core cutter facilitates the splitting o eration-of" the blades, and the cracking nee not neces'- sarily be carried so far as smashing of the central column,- although usually this results. It is, however, retained intact until the splitting operation is substantially complete..

What is claimed as new is :-j

1. The method of cracking nuts with a central resistance column, which consists`in supporting the nutl by grasping it at the ends of the column, and' simultaneously segregatin one end of the central column and splitting theouter wall of the nut from the segregated end of the column ktoward the other end. f f' 2. The method of cracking nuts with .a central resistant column, which consists in supporting the nut by grasping it at the ends of the column, and simultaneously se regating one end of the central column an split ting the outer .wall of the nut from the segregated end of the column toward the other v end over a plurality of lines.H

3. The method of crackin nuts with a central resistant column, whic gaging the nut at the ends of .the column by cracking rmeans to support the same, segregating one end of the central column, and splitting the outer nut wall from the segregated column end, and afterwards exerting pressure on the ends of the column lto rupture the same.

f 4. In apparatus for cracking nuts, includ@ downwardly converging relation, and a consists in entubularcore cutter carried by the head having its cutting end substantially in the plane of convergence of the blades.

5. In apparatus for cracking nuts, including an anvil, anda cutter head cooperating therewith, said head having radial blades pivoted to enable them to swing into substanthe pressure'of the nut, thereb to retain the core intact until at or near t e endof the splitting operation. i

6. In apparatus for cracking nuts, includ- Ving an anvil, anda cutterhead cooperating therewith, said head having radial blades pivoted to enable them to swing into substantially vertical position, springs normally holding the blades inclining inwardly and downwardly in converging relation, a tubular core cuttercarried bythe head having its cutting end substantially in the plane'of convergence'of the blades, and a knockoutpin for removing the core from the cutter yieldingly pressed vin adirectionV to discharge the core. v 7. In apparatus for cracking nuts, including an' anvil, and a cutter head cooperating therewith, said head vhaving radial blades pivoted toenable vthemto swing into substantially vertical position, springs normal-v ly holding the blades inclining inwardly and downwardly in converging relation, a tubular core'cutter carried bythevhead having its ycutting end substantially in the plane of convergence of the blades, a knockout pin for removing -th'e core from the cutter yieldingly pressedin a direction to discharge the core, the head and anvil mounted for relative reciprocating movement, and means operated by the movement of said elements away Jfrom each other to positively move the knockout pin toward the anvil near the end of the separating movement. y

8. `In apparatus 'for cracking nuts, in`clud ing-an anvil, and a cutter head cooperating therewith, said -head having radial blades i pivoted to enable themvto swing into substantially vertical position, springs normal-- ly holding the blades inclining inwardly and downwardly inV converging relation, anda tubular core cutter carried 'by the ,head having its cutting end substantially in'the `plane of convergence'of the blades, said core cutter spring mounted to enable' it to yield under the pressure of the nut,tl1ereby to retain the core intact until at or near the end of the y'splitting'operatiom the core cutter and the blades having cooperating surfaces to swing the blades outwardly and downwardly when the cutter ismoved by the spring.V

9. In apparatus for cracking nuts, including an-.anv1l, and a cutter head cooperating therewith, said head having radial blades 'pivoted to enable them to swing into sub'- stantially vertical position, springs normally holding the blades inclining inwardly and downwardly in converging relation, a tubular core cutter carried by the head havin 1ts cutting end substantially in the plane-o convergence of the blades, aknockout pin for removin the core from the cutter yieldingly presse in a direction to discharge the core, the head and anvil mounted'for relative reclprocating movement, and means operated by the movement of said elements away from each other to positively move the knockout pm toward the anvil near the end of the separating movement, the core cutter and the blades having cooperatingV cam surfaces to move the blades outwardly and downwardly when the core cutter is so moved.

10. In apparatus for cracking nuts, a substantially cup shaped cutter head, a lurality of blades, and lmeans for mounting the blades in the head in radial relation, including "a disk fitting within the head and having'. radial slots for the blades, each blade having 1 av transverse pivot, and the disk having open notches at the opposite sides of the slots to receive the: ends of the pivot, and holding plates fitting the disk between the blades and detachably connected with the head.

11. In apparatus for cracking nuts, a sub stantially cup shaped cutter head, a plurality of blades, and means for mounting the blades in the head in radial relation, including a disk fitting within the head and having radial slots for the blades, each blade having a transverse pivot, and the disk having'open notches at the opposite sides of the slots to receive -the ends of the pivot, and holding plates fitting' the disk between the blades and detachably connected with the'head, said connection including registering openings'in thehead, the disk and the plates, and screws passing through the head'and disk and Vhaving threaded engagement with the plates.

12. The method of cracking babassu nuts having a resistant central column, which consists in engaging the nut at the ends of the central mast of column to support the same, and splitting the outer wall over a plurality of lines extending longitudinally of the axis while the nut is so held, and afterwards exerting cracking pressure upon the central column.

rSigned at New York, in thecounty of New York and State of New York, this 21st day of October A. D. 1927.

f WILLIAM E. GIESECKE." 

